imgwiz

I am trying to complete a trip that's been in the works and delayed by Covid -19 ( so what else is new, huh) to Arizona, flying in/out of Phoenix, working around reservations for 3 nights lodging in the Grand Canyon. We will also visit Sedona for a few days. However, my previous plans included Page, exploring glen Canyon area and visiting Antelope Canyon. I understand these are currently closed. My question is, whether it is worth the effort to go to Page with limited activities available? I am sure the area is beautiful, but are there other beautiful spots to explore? We have visited Arches, Zion, Bryce, Canyonlands on a previous trip. Your experienced insights will be appreciated, thanks!

odie1

What is it you like to do? What time of year is it and for how many days? Who is taking this trip? A bit more information might be helpful.

Patty

April 2021 is the time of year according to the title. Antelope Canyon is closed. Glen Canyon NRA is open but what specifically were you interested in doing there? It covers an enormous area. Also you'll need to detour between the Grand Canyon South Rim and Page due to the closure of the east entrance.

imgwiz

I will be traveling with my husband, we are active and fit 70 year olds and we love to hike, but because of an old leg injury, we don't do intense steep climbs or hikes much longer than 5-6 miles. We are interested in outdoor activities, because of C-19 primarily, but there might be some brief museum visits. We like nature, art, handicrafts, beautiful vistas, we do a lot of photography. We have 3-4 days if we don't go to Page. In that area, I was interested in the 1/2 day float, hiking to Horseshoe Bend, which I think is open, and was particularly interested in visiting Antelope Canyon ( closed).

Patty

Horseshoe Bend is open. Buckskin Gulch is a slot canyon hike that starts from Wire Pass trail head about an hour from Page https://www.americansouthwest.net/sl...ss/canyon.html I believe there's now a ladder where the 8 ft drop is.

Closer to Page is a shorter hike to Paria Rimrocks aka Toadstools https://www.americansouthwest.net/ut...cks/index.html

oldemalloy

For Page, check to see if the smooth water raft trip is going from the dam to Lees Ferry. We took the half day trip and it was great.

Do visit Wupatki and Sunset Crater on your way into or out of GC. Use the east entrance via 89 on the way in or exit that way.

Other ruins that you might be able to visit are Walnut Canyon, about 10 miles east of Flagstaff, Montezumas Castle and well, between Phoenix and sSedona and several others closer to Sedona.

tomfuller

There is plenty to do and see without going to Page. You can click on my profile and read my Grand Canyon trip report. We flew into and out of Phoenix-Mesa airport on Allegiant. It's great that you scored lodging at Grand Canyon. I'm hoping that the buses will be running on a full schedule and not cut to 50% or less capacity.
We stayed for a week in a motel along the old Rt. 66 in Flagstaff and made day trips from there. Sedona was only a day trip from there. After walking through the town for several hours, I'm glad we didn't stay overnight.
A couple things that we saw that you might want to see are the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff and Winslow Arizona with a statue of Glen Frey. Yes there is a flat bed Ford parked on "the corner".
You could also visit the meteor crater and Desert View in the eastern end of the Grand Canyon.
For a great meal outside Sedona, try to find the Manzanita restaurant in the small town of Cornville. They have authentic German dishes and sometimes wild game. I took my wife there for our anniversary dinner. She was very happy.

Patty

The east entrance to the Grand Canyon is currently closed. The tentative reopening date is May 21st. You'll need to use the south entrance.

imgwiz

Patty I appreciate your well-informed updates. I have decided to cut out Page from this trip and try to include some other interesting spots in addition to GC, Sedona and Flagstaff.
Thanks Tom for your suggestions and also thanks OldMalloy for the spots you suggest. Your help is appreciated!

odie1

The White Mountains of Arizona are a completely different feel to Arizona than anywhere else. The area is geared to outdoor activities with lots of hiking trails. We love Greer, Arizona. It sits at 8500' in a small valley with the Little Colorado River (headwaters of the mighty Colorado) running through it. There are some beautiful drives you can take, great fishing, a few Native American sites that can be seen, a few small museums and if you drove there from Grand Canyon (about 5.5 hours) there are some interesting places you could stop along the way (Petrified Forest) and the Springerville Volcanic Field (the third largest young volcanic field in North America-a total of 405 volcanoes) which is pretty cool to see.

imgwiz

wow, that also sounds great! Arizona seems to be a treasure trove of beautiful places to discover! I will explore the idea, thanks!

Patty

Not sure how far you want to go but you could also consider Tucson if you haven't been there before. There are some great hiking areas like Sabino Canyon, Catalina State Park, Saguaro NP. You could even venture farther south to Madera Canyon, Ramsey Canyon, Chiracahua National Monument. Some of these are within day trip distance of Tucson.

imgwiz

thanks, that's another great thought. Is Prescott worth visiting? Passing through? spending a night?

suzanneaz

Prescott is a darling town but I think there are other places that you would enjoy more. You could spend time in Flagstaff and then go towards Williams if you are interested in "getting your kicks on Route 66". Bearizona is a popular stop that is a walk and drive through zoo. There are a lot of things to do!

I was also going to recommend heading south of Phoenix. If you haven't been to Arizona it is really fun to go to Tombstone and Bisbee. Tombstone has gunfight reenanctments, historic saloons and the Boot Hill Cemetery. Yes it's touristy but it's also super fun. Bisbee is an old mining town that has taken an artsy twist. The mine tour is wonderful and you can walk everywhere in town. If you are wanting more hiking then I send the suggestion to go to Sabino Canyon, Catalina State Park, Saguaro NP. One of my favorite places in Tucson is Gates Pass to watch the sunset. My favorite restaurant in Tucson is El Charro. Their signature dish is carne seca which is dried beef (that you can see hanging from the roof at the original downtown location) with tomato and spices. Delicious! It is the only place in the world I have ever had this dish.

Patty

I think Prescott is worth a short visit but not 3-4 days. There are some scenic areas like the granite dells and the surrounding national forest. If you do go, stop in Jerome on the way.

imgwiz

I think we will spend our first night in Prescott, then drive through Jerome and Cottonwood and spend 2 nights in Flagstaff, which we can use as a base to explore the area further before proceeding to the GC for 3 days and then to Sedona for several days. Clearly, there is so much in Arizona to visit of interest -- we need to plan a second trip already! Thank you to so many of you for your helpful and informed suggestions

HappyTrvlr

Arizona has a lot of natural beauty but I would never put Page in that category.

odie1

Unless you are planning on doing a lot of hiking down into and/or around the canyon, three days at the Grand Canyon is going to be a lot.

imgwiz

well yes, we want to do some photography for sunrise/sunset and we do want to do hiking. We are not going to hike all the way down to Phantom Ranch, but want to explore. I've never been and wanted to be able to experience and absorb it.

Patty

Just FYI the east entrance of Grand Canyon will be reopening tomorrow well ahead of the originally announced date of May 21st.